Best Laid Plans: How the Warm Weather is Impacting North Park this Winter

The unseasonably warm weather this winter has left a lot of people scratching their heads, wondering where all the snow went. As a result, a lot of events that were planned have had to be postponed indefinitely. Find out what we are missing out on, and what you can do to fill that empty spot in your soul that craves North Park winter events.

What We Missed

This year we will miss our friends from Xtreme Mountain Racing for the 2026 season, as well as the Ron Sessions Annual Ice Golf Tournament. Both events are dependent on the Walden Reservoir, which is not only low, but not even frozen in most spots. Those factors would turn adrenaline-pumping vintage snowmobile racing and ice golf into a very chilly swimming contest. It’s better for everyone if they take the season off, but hopefully winter will be in full swing again next year!

If you want to read about what these events have been in past years, please check out the links here!

The January Lake John Fishing contest, however, was not postponed, and anglers adapted pretty well to the conditions. Thin ice on Lake John prevented vehicles from being on the ice, but plenty of fish were still caught from the shore as well as from fishing holes on the ice! Winners in both the adult and youth category went home happy, with seven of them taking the big cash prizes and several other lucky participants getting hourly catch prizes and door prizes on a chilly January weekend.

Plenty of other things going on in Jackson county

Mild winters happen sometimes in the Colorado high country. Luckily for Jackson County, our tourism isn’t based as much on plummeting temperatures as much as neighboring resort towns. Mild winters can actually mean continued access to areas in the county where otherwise roads would be snowed in or too muddy to travel.

Fishing!

On Feb 7th the February Lake John Ice Fishing Tournament is back, with the same rules that applied for the January fishing tournament. If you missed the fun in January, you’ll have another chance to catch the one that got away. Check out the Lake John Resort Facebook page and the North Park Area Chamber of Commerce for more information.

Social Media Detox

Did you spend much of the holidays eating too much and doomscrolling your social media apps? When the turkey and ham are all gone, you’re probably still left with a significant social media addiction. You need to go outside and touch grass, or better yet, take the drive to North Park and see what we’ve got going in Walden, Gould, and so many other destinations in Jackson County. 

What we lack in ski resorts, we more than make up for with no lift lines, minimal traffic, and a quiet hometown experience with stunning views and cute shops to visit. Several restaurants await for you to find your new favorite place to eat in the Colorado mountains. Or check into a hotel or vacation rental through VRBO or AirBnB for a few days of peace and quiet.

Spend the night under the stars

With clear skies and very little atmosphere separating you from the heavens, our night skies during the wintertime are second to none. The mountains block the North Park basin from a lot of light pollution coming from the Front Range and other towns. 

So much in fact that the Colorado State Forest State Park is in the process of working on certification for the DarkSky project, which provides guidelines on protecting our view of the stars from light pollution.

If stargazing is what you love to do on a chilly winter night, you have to add North Park to your list of destinations for viewing the night sky. What better way to see the stars at night than from a yurt at the Colorado State Forest State Park? Or perhaps the Old Homestead Cabins in Rand?

Plenty of wildlife

Mild weather has an effect on wildlife in the mountains. When meadows and wetlands are otherwise caked in snow, many big game animals spend the winter scraping up forage from remote areas. With so much exposed grass and brush to eat, ungulates tend to stick around where you can see them. 

Pronghorn make up the majority of what you might see on your drive, with deer and elk a big contender. Moose are more of a common sight to see when they can find food easier, so odds are good you’ll see lots of critters on your drive. 

The Powderhorn Cabins in Gould, CO post lots of photos on their social media pages of four-legged visitors to the cabins. While you are checking out their site, you should consider booking a stay!

Winter motorsports

There’s still time for a few good snowfalls and some great places to ride in the high country. If snowmobiles are your jam, check out some extensive trail systems in the State Forest State Park and Routt National Forest near Gould, CO. Other places you need to keep on your radar can be found at Rabbit Ears Pass and Buffalo Pass on the Park Range. 

A word on avalanches

One of the most dangerous and powerful forces in nature, avalanches have carved mountainsides, wiped out forests, and trapped people and animals from the beginning of time. That isn’t to say they are unpredictable. Unfortunately, warm weather trends in the high country are the biggest contributing factor necessary to cause avalanches.

Sunlight, wind, and subsurface melt can create a crust of snow which will ride with gravity on the snow underneath like a hillside of ballbearings. The sheer weight and speed of an avalanche can take out trees, boulders, houses, and just about anything else in its path. Avalanches have been known to close highways, especially Cameron Pass and Willowcreek Pass. 

CDOT and the National Forest Service do their best to keep up with controlled avalanches, setting off charges to trigger them when people are safely out of the area, but they still happen. Especially in remote areas not considered as much of a threat to high traffic.

Backpackers, skiers, snowshoers, and snowmobile riders are most at risk. Emergency avalanche kits might help mitigate the risk when traveling through avalanche areas, but they aren’t 100% effective. So keep your head on a swivel! If you don’t know, don’t go. 

View of the Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge in May, 2022

Lots of winter could still be on the way!

Even though this winter might seem like a bust with so many cancellations due to the weather, there’s still a good chance we might have a wet late winter or early spring. Colorado gets a large percentage of its snowpack during the winter when it melts slower, but spring storms have been known to drop feet of snow in a single storm. 

In the mountains, significant snowfall can happen anytime from late February all the way through June! If you are traveling in the high country, and especially if you are hiking, camping, or RVing, be sure to check the weather and snow conditions for your planned trip.

When other towns in Colorado are panicking over the lack of snow, Jackson County can offer an entirely different approach to winter, better suited to a laid back, rustic experience far from apres ski, lift lines, and dizzying roundabouts in resort towns. Check out our blog for other ideas that might inspire your next weekend getaway!

If you want to know more…

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